Improvement in fruit-ladders



UNITED STATES PATENT EFICE.

DAVID MCMASTER, OF BATH, NEI/V YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN `FRUIT-LADDERS.

Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 51,205, dated November28, 1865.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID McMAsrEn, of Bath in the county of Steuben andState of New York, have invented a new and useful I mprovementinFruit-Ladders; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the construction of the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, made part of this specification,in

l which- Figure l is a perspective View of the ladder when fixed foruse, and Fig. 2 shows the ladder when the same is folded togetherI forremoval. Fig. 3 shows the shape of shaft.

The shaft of the ladder A is made of pine or other light wood, three anda half or four inches in diameter, and cut to an octagonal shape, asshown in Fig. 3, tapering slightly to the top. Through the middle linesof opposite sides the run gs B are inserted. They are made of hickory orother tough wood, are one inch anda quarter in diameter, and project sixor eight inches on either side, and are about sixteen inches apart.

A pin, D, is inserted in the bottom of the shaft A, projecting a fewinches, for the purpose of preventing the shaft from slipping.

Ihe ladder thus constructed is made selfsupporting by four legs of lightwood. These are about two by one and a quarter inches on' the sides, andwhen attached to a sixteen-foot shaft, (which is thensual sizeforordinary fruittrecs,) the upper set of legs are six feet eight incheslong, and the lower set are six feet long. The rangs of the ladder beingthrough the middle line of two of the narrow faces, as shown in Fig. 3,the two upper and longer legs will be attached to the shaft on oppositefaces other than the ones through which the run gs pass-viz.,the widerfaces-and the other part will be attached to the other wider oppositefaces. The upper pair of legs are t0 be attached about flve feet and ahalf from the bottom of the pole, and the shorter pair six or eightinches below. Both pairs are attached by bolts with heads and nuts. Thenuts are drawn so tight as to make thejoints work stiftly, but not somuch as to prevent their working. In the bottom of the shaft a spikeprojecting a few inches prevents the base from slipping. Theseproportions will of course be varied according to the length of theladder.

In operating with the ladder the base being fixed under or by the tree,the legs are turned down and spread, givin g a base of about six feet.The ladder should be slightly inclined from the person using the same,so as keep the cer.- ter of gravity near the base. It will be moreconvenient to turn the legs up, and not down, as representated in thedrawings.

Having fully explained the nature and construction of my improvement infruit-ladders, what I claim as my invention, and seek to secure byLetters Patent, is

A ladder consisting of the shaft A, the rnngs B, legs C, and projectingspike D, combined and constructed substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed myname to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

` D. MCMASTER.

Witnesses R. CAMPBELL, L. P. HARDY.

